A Tribute to Outstanding CPAs

My wife, Carrie, and I enjoyed CPA Celebration 2018 along with over 450 in attendance. Held at Indiana Roof Ballroom, this annual ceremony represents our Society’s biggest event of the year.

Sharing the stage with co-host Rachael Smith, I appreciated the honor of announcing long-time Society members, outgoing leadership, the future of our profession including scholars and successful member exam candidates, and INCPAS awards winners. See all honorees in the 2018 CPA Celebration program.

The evening involves a cocktail reception for networking, dinner and awards program, and an enjoyable evening of casino and entertainment. Even more, it provides members the opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of colleagues, friends and family.

Among the individuals recognized:

Longtime members. These individuals have been members of the Society for 40, 50, 60, and 70 years. These members represent an integral part of building a positive image for our profession!

Past Board Presidents and Chairs. These individuals have dedicated countless hours of service as instrumental leaders in the Society’s growth.

Successful CPA Exam Candidates. With a reason to celebrate, 80 of our newest colleagues joined us having successfully completed the CPA Exam. Again, congratulations on such a monumental accomplishment! With many ways to get involved in our profession, I both encourage and look forward to hearing about your future successes and endeavors. Get involved early and align with mentors.

INCPAS Scholars. During the evening, our Society also honored the future of our profession ready to carry on our tradition. The Indiana CPA Society Scholars represent high-potential Indiana high school students learning about the CPA profession, the importance of graduating high school, what they need to succeed in college, and the importance of developing lifelong professional relationships. Seventeen talented and driven scholars attended. The Scholars program would not exist without the help of our donors and sponsors from firms, companies, and universities, many of whom attended CPA Celebration.

INCPAS Award winners. These members are nominated by their colleagues and selected by the Board of Directors for outstanding effort in the following categories: Advocacy, Building Bridges to the Profession Award, Community Service, CPA Center of Excellence®, Innovation Award, Emerging Leaders Award, Chair’s Award and Distinguished Service Award.

How you can get involved in making an impact with the Society:

In addition to devoted members such as those recognized this year, you too can play an influential role. I encourage you to align your passion with the numerous ways you can give back to our profession. Your involvement will contribute to the flourishing momentum of all the exciting changes heading our way from the Society! If you haven’t already seen it, you can get an overview of what’s to come in Jennifer Briggs’ recent blog post.

The Indiana CPA Society has a very dedicated and talented staff. Special thanks to Stephanie Parton and Jenna Whalen for making the evening possible! These two along with the rest of the staff made my part streamlined and efficient. Thank you for making my role easy! Each year, the entire staff graciously helps members and guides project teams, the Leadership Cabinet, the Emerging Leaders Alliance, and the Board of Directors in accomplishing their goals.

Congratulations on another successful year! If you were unable to join us this year, please consider next coming to CPA Celebration 2019 on May 10. With so many dedicated and talented colleagues engaged in our profession throughout the state, I look forward to gathering a year from now to celebrate successes. A profession in the care of outstanding leaders and emerging stars, I look forward to what next year brings!